Happy Birthday Roxie!

For our first completed window of 2025 we look at Linda L's Beveled Inscription Window that she etched, cut, ground, foiled and tacked together while at home.  She brought it into class to put a channel on it and then finished it all off by putting a nice bead of solder on everything.  This is work WELL done!

 

 

 

Next up, I made this Broken Circle as a way to reduce the amount of clear scrap that I had lying around.   These were all pieces that were way to big to throw away but too small to sell in the glass rack.  I didn't quite achieve what I saw in my mind when I drew the pattern (due to stability issues) but I'm more than pleased with the end result.

 

 

 

Lorrie has begun her large Fish Window and when I saw large I mean that it will have a finished size of 37" x 28".  Luckily that means that she won't be dealing with any tiny pieces.  She's making all of the fish first, tacking them together (not soldering--only tacking) and then washing the flux off of them.  Once all of the fish and the bottom of the ocean has be tacked together she'll be able to add the background (water) pieces that will hold everything together.

 

  

 

Kerry wanted to do something a little bit Valentine Day related and decided that a Love window with two large hearts would fit the bill.   He got it all cut out in just one class and even began grinding so this will surely be short work for him.

  

 

Susan D is making another 3D Humming bird which means that her round Bear Window is going to be somewhat on hold for a bit.  She's actually working on them both at the same time since she's on a roll with her Bear but it looks like her Humming Bird will be completed before you know it because she not only has it cut out but ground as well!

 

 

 

Sheri began making a Sunflower Panel and also managed to get everything cut out for it in just one class.  The clear background glass gave her some anxiety issues but by insisting that she cut it out herself she gained more confidence and saw that she was panicking herself over nothing. 

  

Lara began the new year by resuming work on her large Stack of Books  Suncatcher.  There are only the pages of the books left to cut from glass and they will actually be accented with wire to form the smaller bundles of pages (illustrated by red lines on the pattern).  That means that she only has four more pieces of glass to cut to finish this entire project off.

  

Although Susan D is taking some time away from her Bear to work on her Humming Bird it doesn't mean that she's abandoned him altogether.   She's just not spending ALL of her time on the Humming Bird.   That said, I have to compliment her of this Bear Panel because the glass fitting is absolutely flawless.  She's even left the perfect amount of 'gap' for the two pieces of foil that will reside between each piece which is the hardest thing to get students to do because most students worry about too much space in between pieces.  What you see below in Susan's ground Bear is perfection.

  

 

Kandise has begun grinding her second Corner Accent Piece which is a perfect mirror image of her first one which she made last year.  :-)  Her grinding is moving along nicely and she's following her lines wonderfully.   And although she's more than ready to begin something different I think that this will be finished quicker than she believes.

 

 

 

Next up we see the progress that MiMi is making on the largest Hexagon Window that she's made yet.  It's also the last one that she says she'll ever make. This is another great example of perfection in grinding.  If she didn't leave space between each piece the window would expand when she added foil to each piece which would be VERY problematic since this HAS to be a specific size.  She has two pins placed on each side of each piece which comes to 12 pins per piece.   As she foils each piece she removes the pins surrounding it because the foil now takes the place of the pins. 

 

  

 

 

Mary Grace is working on her third 3D Standing Angel and it looks as though she'll be wrapping this up next week and then cutting out the two piece base that holds the Angel upright and resembles a cloud.  Practice makes perfect and that's what Mary Grace is striving for here.

 

 

 

Next up we have Ann who drew up this pattern from a Christmas card and after making a few small adjustments traced out everything onto poster board so that she can begin cutting out glass when she returns again next week.

 

  

 

 

Sometimes students finish things at home and I ask them to please send me a completed picture so we can let our readers see what the finished work looks like.   A lot of times that just isn't possible but Sheri completed her large Beveled Window just in time for it to hang in the window that it will spend the rest of its life in.   And we were lucky enough to get a picture of it in that window!

And there you have it--  The start of a whole new year with students both familiar and new.  I'm finally getting 'with it' and will begin posting completed works on Instagram on our new page there.  It will be a quick way to sort through only completed projects without having to sift through months of separate postings.  You can find us there at this address 

 

https://www.instagram.com/bayousaleglassworks/

 

or you can search for bayousaleglassworks.

Paul

Bayou Salé GlassWorks

 

'Twas The Week Before Christmas

This beautiful Fancy Oval Flower that Let made has numerous points of interest.  The pointed top and bottom of the oval, the scalloped lead trim that surrounds it, the carefully chosen shading of colors, the reeded background accent glass and the glass nugget all add up to a beautiful window.

  

 

Once Stitch was washed and colored Judy wasn't sure whether she liked him or not but after we added the white 'light glints' in his pitch black eyes he actually came to life (figuratively speaking).  All in all I think he's rather cute even though I've never seen any of his movies.

  

 

Susan R finished the Comedy/Tragedy Masks that she did in Mardi Gras colors.   She even plans to add Mardi Gras ribbons to these before she hangs them.  Due to a weak joint that runs between the masks we had to add some wire to make sure that they don't rip apart.   The wire is WELL hidden and in the end this could be held horizontally by only one of the masks without the other mask sagging at all.

  

 

Linda F's Bevel Heart looks exquisite and was completed in record time.  Straight lines and graceful curves are the highlights of this suncatcher because anything less would stand out like a red thumb. Following the pattern perfectly IS imperative on anything that is symmetrical and Linda did exactly that.

  

 

Mary Grace decided to make the two angels that she cut out last week as 3D standing angels complete with twisted wire halos.  Blue or green it doesn't matter which you pick because they are both equally beautiful.

  

 

Lorrie had these spare bevels laying around her workshop and decided to position them into a cross pattern and then surround them with a nice deep blue textured glass.  The end result is a beautiful cross by anyone's definition.

Betty's new Nativity Scene Suncatcher left the work table and is featured this week as another of Betty's completed projects. 

 

 

 

Linda put the finishing touches on the Mickey Mouse Silhouette that will fit into the second ear (opposite Minnie) in the Iron Mickey Mouse Frame  that she has.  When she returns next year she'll begin the LARGE Mickey in a Swimsuit Window that will go into the face section of the Iron Frame work.

 

  

 

 

Cindy had two Cross Hearts completed one one of the pictures showed up blurry in all three shots that I took of it.   But this one is nice and sharp!!

 

 

 

Bee has taken a break from her Tribute Window to start this 6 inch high Cross and Flower Panel.  The glass she used for the flower petals almost looks iridescent but the light green and pink hues are just the color of the glass.

 

  

 

Susan D has all of her Circular Bear ground and with this picture that I took straight on you can clearly see that she has left the perfect amount of space between all of her pieces to allow for foil.  Foil may be thin but like the pages of a book they add up to a large amount of space especially if the project has a lot of pieces like this one does. (And never forget that each space has to contain not one but TWO pieces of copper foil-- one on each piece.)

  

 

 

 Cindy began a New LSU tiger eye window and started by cutting out the Purple piece.  They look black her while they rest on the table but rest assured that they are indeed purple.   Yellow and white will be the two remaining colors that make up this window

  

Then we have June's Multi-colored Elephant and the colors are looking vibrant and cheerful.   I think this is going to light up spectacularly!  And it fits together nicely even in its unground state.  June is getting good with a cutter and there;s no doubt about that.

  

Martha has Multi-colored Christmas Ornaments and she managed to get all of then ground and ready for foil before class ended.  They may not be ready for Christmas this year but they will certainly be among the first Christmas Projects completed for 2025.

 

  

 

 

Instead of egg cartons full of glass pieces I'm sharing with you the pattern that MiMi will be grinding all of those pieces to.   Each piece in the pattern below is being cut 3 times to create her lamp and she's moving along at a nice steady pace.

 

 

Cheryl is putting the final border pieces onto the center portion of her Harley-Davidson Window.   once this is tacked together she'll have to decide whether she wants to start on MOTOR next or CYCLES.  They are both of equal complexity so there's no easy way out in sight!

 

  

 

Sheri is under a deadline of sorts with her large Beveled Window.  She wants to get it completed before Christmas and in all honesty I know that she'll do it.  She was able to get her border attached, a zinc channel added to it and the front side completely soldered which leaves only the back side to go.  She's done some great work on this and I believe that her confidence has grown dramatically as well (for good reason).

 

 

 

Lorrie has her Underwater Fish Scene started  as she cut and ground two of the Angelfish for her large window.   Seeing how quickly she got this far with two fish and some underwater leaves in just two and a half hours, well I can't wait to see what she walks in the door with next year!

 

MiMi also shared this look at the next Hexagon Window that she's been working on.   She obviously likes making things with lots and LOTS of pieces!  Now that she has this ground she's ready to begin foiling.

 

 

 

 

Wrapping things up we have a look at the Cat Windows that both Cindy and Martha made for a friend of theirs.  Here they are on display hanging where they will reside for years to come.   They sure do make perfect bookends!

 

Believe it or not, this is the last post of the year!  Time has really flown and I'm betting that Christmas of 2025 will be here before we can say, "Saint Nick"!  We want to wish all of our students and readers a very Merry Christmas and a most Happy  New Year.

Paul

Bayou Salé GlassWorks

 

Save Yourself Time and Do It My Way

Susan R's Peacock Hoop was completed and all of her hard work has paid off magnificently!  This may be the Piece de Resistance in Susan's Stained Glass portfolio.  In other words, this is a wonderful feather in her cap and I know she's very pleased with it.

 

 

 

Ann's Nativity Scene Window came together in time for Christmas and was even changed to be correct!  Sometimes a detail like a halo (or in this case the lack of one) goes unnoticed.  That being said, Ann caught the lack of Joseph's halo right after she began this window and still had time to repair Joseph's slight.   As you can see the window looks amazing and Ann came through beautifully.

 

 

 

 

Linda L finished her right (or left) mouse ear insert.  Yes, it's Minnie Mouse    I've photoshopped a mock up of just part this is in the project that she is making to help explain what is so hard for me to express in words here. 

 

The black lines in the picture below show what will be metal framework.   Mickey and Minnie will go in each ear opening while a larger circular Mickey Mouse in a Swimsuit will go in the larger central opening.

 

 

 

 

Kerry's Santa Hats got completed and although I've only pictured a pair of them he actually got a half dozen of them completed.  They may look simple but trust me when I say that there is more to these than meets the eye!

 

  

 

Steve and Lisa each took a painted glass piece, surrounded them with background glass and then added a border to them as well.  By the time class was finished they walked out the door with two beautiful Window Hangings.   Sadly, this is Steve and Lisa's last class with us as they will be starting 2025 doing some extreme house hunting and moving on over to Lafayette.  We'll miss them but will certainly remain in touch. 

 

 

 

I told you about a week or two ago that the end was near when it came to the seven windows that Lorrie was making for Christmas  and this week I'm pleased to announce that his is the final Address Window that Lorrie had to have completed.  A job well done! 

  

 

And to wrap up our completed projects for the week we learn that Betty has finished six more Dragonflies of assorted colors and textures, one of which is pictured here. 

 

 

Cheryl's making headway with her Harley-Davidson Window and is tacking the inner border pieces onto the window to make things stable and secure so that she can put some glass under what she already has tacked together to fill in the few pieces that are missing.  That splash of orange is giving this thing some life.

 

 

 

Susan R also worked on a pair of Mardi Gras Tragedy and Comedy Faces.   She was hard pressed when it came to deciding what to do with the eyes and the mouths in these masks and she's pretty sure that she is going to fill them with black glass to denote the empty space that the wearer's features would be seen through.

 

 

 

 

Lara wants her Flower/Sunburst completed when she comes back in and I'm sure that will happen since the border which is made up of bevels are ready to be wrapped.  She'll attach those bevels when she comes back in  and then solder it right away.

 

 

 

 

Lorrie also began working on this beveled Cross Suncatcher and got it all cut, ground AND wrapped in foil before she called it a night and headed home.

 

 

 

 

Mary Grace began cutting out a pair of Angel Suncatchers and has the first one almost ready for foiling and soldering.  I'm sure that at least one of these will be finished upon her return and I know that she wanted a twisted wire halo for these angels and the good news is that I found some twisted wire in the shop that she can use.

 

  

 

 

This is the second ear for Linda L's Mickey Mouse Lawn Ornament.  Or should I call it a Pool Ornament since it will be decorating her pool.  This one is just about ready for solder  which means that the larger, more detailed Mickey will be started when the new year rolls around.

 

 

 

Judy ensured that her Stitch Suncatcher will be completed in time for Christmas by getting all of this guy ground and mostly foiled as well.  She's actually ahead of the game at this point since I expected her to have to take this home to get it wrapped.

 

 

 

June is full swing into cutting glass for her Elephant Window and the colors are really starting to show now.   The beauty of this project is that she's able to use scraps that she has as well as pieces of glass that are in our scrap bin. 

 

 

 

Let has decided to make her Flower Hanging a large suncatcher rather than a squared off window so she has increased the size of the final border to make it just a little more prominent and possibly a little more resilient.  She's also cut out a Dog Paw with Angel Wings as a separate project which you can see below her Flower.

 

 

 

Shelley is cutting away on her Trio Of Ladies Window and now that she has three dresses cut out this is really taking shape.  She wasn't sure on the color of the third dress but once she suggested the color green I was all on board.

 

  

 

 

Susan D's Bear Window is really taking shape and even shows up nicely in the picture this week!  Her exactness in grinding and cutting really shine through when you see this in person.  Once the pieces get some foil on them you'll REALLY be able to see the complexity of this round panel.

 

 

 

 

It's hard to see but after getting another Egg Carton and a half filled with lamp pieces MiMi traced out her next set of pieces onto some green glass.   She's ready to put her cutter to the glass and will begin that upon her return.

 

 

 

 

Betty almost completed her Nativity Suncatcher which means that you will DEFINITELY see this among our completed pieces next week.

 

  

 

 

Linda F's assorted collection of Christmas Ornaments are being made with bright and festive colors which, as you can see, she has begun grinding.

Martha is making a number of Christmas Ornaments of her own and is also in the process of grinding them.  She's got more orders for Franklin Street Lamps so expect to see her working on more of them next year!

 

 

Sheri cut of the last two pieces of the background glass for her large Bevel Cluster Window.  After they  were wrapped and tacked into place she cut her border pieces, ground them, bagged them, and took them home to wrap there.  As you can see I took this picture after she bagged all of her border pieces.  :-(

 

 

 

Bee is foiling some of the pieces that she has cut out for her Dandelion Tribute Window.   When you have a lot of pieces like this it can be helpful to secure things by tacking them so that less can move around while you are trying to fit other pieces.

 

 

 

Lastly we look at the pattern that Lorrie will begin working on in earnest during the new year.  This Underwater Oceanscape is going to be impressive for sure since the finished window will end up being 37 by 25 inches! 

 

 

Don't forget-- This isn't the end, it's the beginning of anything you want.

 

Paul

Bayou Salé GlassWorks